The Holocaust Study Tour is an educational tour that motivates and challenges students to rethink one of the most horrific events in history. Traveling through Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland, students make meaningful cultural connections to the people and nations they visit.
Read below to learn more about the trip and it's purpose.
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Mail to:
NMHS
One Snyder Circle
New Milford, New Jersey 07646

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Day 1 - Berlin, Germany

We welcome parents
of this year’s Holocaust Study Tour participants, their friends and family, HST
alums, our colleagues, and anyone who just happened upon our blog and is
interested in our trip, as we begin our annual study of the Holocaust.At the end of each day's blog we will post a link to student reflections on Padlet.

Fifteen students
from three high schools, New Milfordand
Midland Park [New Jersey] and Bishop O'Dowd [California] met together for the
first time this morning at our hotel, the Moevenpick, in Berlin.After introducing ourselves over the
incredible Moevenpick breakfast, and meeting our Israeli historian and guide
throughout the trip, Shalmi Barmore, and
Olaf, our local guide, we boarded our private bus to begin the day, which was beautiful,
sunny and warm. Aboard the bus, Shalmi asked “Why Germany? How do we look for a
reason for the Holocaust?Is there
something different in German history that could provide an explanation?”

Shalmi talked
about the concept of nationalism and how European nationalism differs from
American nationalism.When asked ‘What
is American nationalism?’ students offered concepts such as freedoms, values,
equality – concepts guaranteed by the Constitution.Shalmi agreed, saying that the American
nationalism was the result of rationalism and the focus was on democracy and
the rights of the individual.In the
United States, the structure and role of the government was created in the name
of the people.The purpose of the state
was to guard the civil rights of the citizens and the government officials in
America were considered by the people to be our civil servants.

In contrast, we
were told that in the European historical evolution of the context of ‘nation’,
it is something greater than its people, something vague and difficult to
define.Asking German students what is
‘German nationalism’, Shalmi said, would elicit different responses, which
would include history and tradition and culture, not typical responses from
Americans.“Anybody can become an American” we were told,
“if they agree to uphold the Constitution and pass a test.”For Germans, it was much more
complicated.Germany became a nation at
a very special stage in history and becoming a nation was an issue of
consciousness, where people began to see themselves as Germans, especially as
it developed during crises, where suffering together gave people the feeling of
unity.Out of the crisis of WWI a
certain Germany emerged, and after WW2 and the Holocaust another Germany was
created.Our first stop would be the
German Historical Museum where we would begin the process of examining the
history of the development of Germany as a nation.

On our way, Olaf
showed us Checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint between the American and Soviet
sectors of Berlin after WW2 through which people might be able to pass between
East and West Berlin.We also saw the
impressive statue of Frederick the Great, so important to the historical
development of Berlin.We saw many construction
sites as this city is an amazing study in both old architecture and new
buildings.We learned that 60% of Berlin
had been destroyed during World War II and then after the reunification in 1989
of East and West Berlin, there came a new spurt of building, particularly in
former East Berlin where the German Historical Museum was located.

In the museum, Shalmi told us he would be showing us some
highlights of German history in an attempt to provide a framework that would
contextualize the Holocaust.That, in
and of itself, he said, was difficult because if one accepts the assumption
that Germany history defines the German people, how does a museum present that
history as something which led up to what that society did?He also spoke to us about nations having
historical mythology and how nations often tried to recreate what was viewed as
having been a perfect time in that nation’s history.

In the entry
hallway, we stopped at an impressive statue of Germania, the symbol of
Germany.Shalmi told us that in the
Middle Ages, everything revolved around religion and when something positive
happened, it was often referred to as a miracle.Nationalism was a modern phenomenon, a result
of the Enlightenment, and things needed to be have a rational explanation, but
that with people there was not only reason, but passion and emotion.The individual was only something because of
the group; an individual could not develop culture alone.European nations would come to be
personified by a symbol in order to simplify it.France would be represented by the female
statue, Marianne, Britain by Britannia, and Germany by the female,
Germania.Why women and not men?“Because women were considered good, and pure,”
Shalmi said.When asked how America was personified, most students
responded“Uncle Sam” .Although “Lady Liberty” was also offered as a
representation.

Also in the hall,
a second, very different statue, was one created by the Nazis to symbolize the
power and strength and superiority of the Aryan race.Shalmi talked about ideology – the beliefs of
a group, and specifically Hitler’s Nazi ideology.He asked if we believed that all 60 million
people who voted for Hitler, believed in his ideology.Then why follow?He said that in democracy, very often people
are voting against something rather than voting for something.

Shalmi explained
that over the next two weeks, we would be seeing many memorials and statues and
said we should always bear in mind two questions:(1)Who made this?And (2)What is the message that the creator wants to
convey to me?The dialogue, he said, is
between you and the person who made the statue or memorial.

As we continued
through the museum we learned that Frederick the Great brought in French
Huguenots [Protestants] who had been forced to flee by the Catholics, because
they were artisans, and also allowed certain Jews to come in because they were
good businessmen.We learned that the
Industrial Revolution which had first occurred in Britain and developed at a
much slower pace, with gradual society change, came last to Prussia and
progressed much faster, eventually overtaking other European nations.We were told that if a society does not have
time to adjust to the pace of change there could be disastrous
consequences.Shalmi also emphasized the
significance of the development of the train.With the train came the ability for people to travel outside of their
communities, the recognition of borders and the development of identities.And one of the main developers of trains in
Europe, we were informed, as the Rothschild family.

We learned that during the Romantic
Period,many aspects that gave identity
to a people, such as language, literature and music, would become specific to
that nation.In this way, Shakespeare’s
plays became not just literature, but English literature, and Beethoven’s music
would become German music.While Germans
were lacking in terms of geographic unification, they developed a sense of
cultural unity which came to define them. And the primary communicators of that cultural
identity were the classroom teachers.

Later, when the
Nazis came to power, a spiritual component to nationalistic pride was added, so
that Germans became superior not just physically but spiritually, which manifested
itself in creativity.For the Nazis this
superior creativity would be attributed to race.And when Jews became emancipated they entered
the middle class, became economically successful and fell in love with German
culture.

We ate lunch in
the Potsdamer Platz, which Olaf informed us had been built since the fall of
the Berlin Wall in 1989.We were eating,
he said, in what had been no man’s land during the Cold War era.The area had largely been developed by two
companies, so the two complexes which contained shopping malls, restaurants,
and business offices, were known as Daemmler City and the Sony Center.

Our next stop was
the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe designed by American architect
Peter Eisenman and dedicated in 2005.The memorial is a city block on which are placed 2711 grey concrete
blocks or ‘stellae”, arranged in a seemingly haphazard manner, on a sloping
surface which rises and falls as one walks through the stellae.We talked about what the memorial represented
to visitors as well as to the residents of Berlin.We spoke of the difference between the
classic memorials in so many cities which honor war heroes and which leave
little room for discussion and the modern memorials which seem to challenge the
visitors to enter into a discussion about what the memorial stands for.What is the symbolism of the blocks?What is appropriate behavior at the memorial?
Why is it only for the murdered Jews?Olaf
told us that the architect had said nothing about the memorial as a guide, leaving
it to the visitor to determine the message.We recalled Shalmi’s two questions he had asked us to consider this
morning, as we visited each memorial.

We returned to the
Moevenpick to check into our rooms and freshen up for dinner and prepare the student
posts.

It was very interesting reading about religion in paragraph 7. Today, we still view many positive occurrences as miracles or acts of God. It was interesting that these connections are made between so long ago and today.

It is interesting that three different high schools are going on this trip, I thought that only Bishop O’Dowd was going. Shalmi seems like a very knowledgeable person and someone that I would enjoy talking to about the Holocaust. I like how the blog explains that in the United States it’s constitution is focused on democracy and the rights of the individual compared to the German nationalism which includes history, tradition, and culture. Checkpoint Charlie seems like a very interesting tour to go on and very informational. It’s interesting to see how America is seen as Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty. I like the quote “if a society does not have time to adjust to the pace of change there could be disastrous consequences.” The concrete blocks have a very simplistic yet power look to them that allows the viewer to think. The start of this trip seems great and very interesting.

Berlin is one of the coolest and historical city that is famous for trip and tour. Holocaust memorial and the Berlin Wall's graffitied are the main thing people want to see in Berlin. That tour is really interesting I think. But when people come from other countries they often hesitate What is the best airport to fly into Berlin. Because There are 2 airports to choose between when flying to Berlin. If you are a foreigner and your budget is low I think you should compare these two. If you want to go Holocaust you should the right one from where the Holocaust is easy to reach. You can go through the comparison on http://www.tripindicator.com/which-berlin-airport-is-best-to-fly-or-closest-to-berlin-city-centre.html . You will get a clear idea about the whole Overview of Berlin Airports. So stay safe and sounds. Happy journey.